EQUIV INVADERS
Shoot fractions equivalent to the target. Use missiles to blast blockers out of the way.
Controls
← → Move cannon
SPACE Fire laser (equivalents only)
Z Fire missile (destroys any invader)
ENTER Next wave
Mobile: drag to move · tap to laser · double-tap to missile
Tips
🟢 Wave 1–2: green = correct, red = wrong
🟠 Wave 3–4: all the same colour — read carefully!
🌈 Wave 5+: random colours — no hints!
🚀 Missiles blast blockers to reach equivalents behind them
🛸 Mystery ship = big bonus points
How to use this in the classroom
Equiv Invaders puts equivalent-fraction fluency under arcade pressure. The target fraction sits at the top of the screen; equivalent fractions descend in waves. Students shoot equivalents with the laser and blast non-equivalents with the missile — getting the wrong action loses lives, so kids have to actually compute rather than spray bullets.
Mental-maths warm-up
5-minute opener at the start of a fractions lesson. Project on the IWB and call on individual students to identify the next equivalent before they shoot. Surfaces who's still relying on visual pattern-matching vs. who's doing the conversion in their head.
1:1 device fluency station
Run as one rotation in a 25-minute fractions block. The arcade format keeps Year 4–6 students engaged longer than worksheet drill — same number of equivalence reps, more attention banked.
Catch-up at home
Free to play with no login. Send the link to families asking how to help their child practise fractions outside class — works on any device, no app install.
What it builds
Equivalent-fraction recognition speed. Students who can solve 2/4 = 1/2 on a worksheet often freeze when they have 1.5 seconds to decide whether 3/9 is equivalent to 1/3. The arcade pressure builds the automaticity that worksheets never quite reach.
Common misconceptions it surfaces
- Numerator-only matching — Students who shoot every fraction that shares a numerator with the target (e.g. firing at 2/7 when the target is 2/3) reveal they're not yet processing both parts of the fraction together.
- Bigger-denominator confusion — Students missing 4/6 when the target is 2/3 because the larger numbers look 'different' to them — a common gap in the Year 4–5 understanding of equivalence as scaling rather than as separate fractions.
- Speed-over-accuracy — Strong students sometimes spray lasers without checking, then lose lives. The wrong-answer feedback teaches them that fluency is accuracy at speed, not just speed.
Differentiation
- Going slower: Pause the game between waves and ask students to talk through why each fraction is or isn't equivalent before they shoot.
- Going faster: Set a 'no missed equivalents' challenge — the game has to be completed without letting a single equivalent fraction land. Forces 100% accuracy under sustained pressure.
- Extension: Ask students to write down three equivalent fractions for the target after each round. Bridges from recognition to generation.
Pairs well with
- Fracman — the maze-format version of the same equivalence skill
- Equivalent Quiz — drill format for kids who need slow-paced practice first
- All fraction games — the full library to vary practice across formats